China Sees Rise in Senior Citizen Suicide Risks

　April 23, 2013

China is seeing a greater risk of senior citizens above the age of 65 committing suicide, despite the overall decrease in the suicide rate, research has shown.

China is seeing a greater risk of senior citizens above the age of 65 committing suicide, despite the overall decrease in the suicide rate, research has shown. [mindiao.cntv.cn]

A survey in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality shows that suicide among senior citizens is common, with 90 percent being women who have a stable income.

Research has also shown that psychological illness is a major factor in Chinese senior citizen suicides.

Senior citizen suicide hotline founder Xu Kun says that health conditions and changing social roles are some of the factors that could affect the mental and emotional state of elderly people.

Tshinghua University sociology professor Jing Jun says that many elderly Chinese parents feel lonely because they live apart from their children and are less likely to communicate closely with their neighbors than in the past, due to rapid urbanization.

Xie Zhaohui, a doctor at the Beijing Electric Power Hospital, says that communities should have resident psychologists and that the government should organize social activities for senior citizens. Elderly people should also have their own hobbies such as reading, listening to music, drawing, traveling and exercising.

(Source: rmzxb.com.cn&chinadaily.com.cn/Translated by womenofchina.cn)

Please understand that womenofchina.cn,a non-profit, information-communication website, cannot reach every writer before using articles and images. For copyright issues, please contact us by emailing: website@womenofchina.cn. The articles published and opinions expressed on this website represent the opinions of writers and are not necessarily shared by womenofchina.cn. 

China Sees Rise in Senior Citizen Suicide Risks

Comments